Simulation Of The Dynamics Of A Weakly-Ionized Plasma Layer In The Electric Field Including The Charge-Exchange And Ionization Processes

The dynamics of a plasma layer with density N-e= 10(10) - 10(12) cm(-3), ionization degree alpha less than or equal to 10(-2), and a characteristic dimension of about 1 cm in the electric field are studied numerically, including the ionization and charge-exchange processes. The particle-in-cell method is used to perform the calculations. A simple analytical model for a cold plasma agrees well with these simulations in the absence of inelastic processes. When an external constant magnetic field of moderate magnitude in which only the electrons are magnetized is included, the ion-extraction time does not change substantially.